


Failing

by QwillReign



Category: Septimus Heap - Angie Sage
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Past Child Abuse, Marcia is a Mum, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Short One Shot, Typical Young Army stuff really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28856244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QwillReign/pseuds/QwillReign
Summary: When the test was handed back, answers crossed out all over, red ink covering its pages, and on and on and on, Septimus panicked.
Relationships: Septimus Heap & Marcia Overstrand
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Failing

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings are in the tags.

Failed. 

Septimus had failed. 

He had promised Marcia that he would be a good student, would learn and learn and be the best apprentice, the best wizard he could be. 

But Septimus had fallen asleep. He had studied and studied and studied, and fallen asleep on the page. He had woken up with ink on his cheek, and Magyk charms and formulas and theory rushing through his brain at 30 miles an hour. He had skipped breakfast, studying for the first test Marcia had given him, the first written test he had ever taken. 

It was terrifying. He had taken tests before, and he knew what happened when you failed a test. The young army tests had been do-or-or dies, and even when they weren’t, they were long, tiring, and involved. He had failed one of these once, and never again. The punishment was bad, he had been hurt and hungry for weeks. 

But this was the first test he wanted to pass for himself. The subject was interesting, and his motivation was, for the first time, something more than self-preservation. Septimus wanted to make Marcia proud. 

But when the test was handed back, answers crossed out all over, red ink covering its pages, and corrections such as “illegible” and “your theory is wrong,” and “these were switched,” and on and on and on, Septimus panicked. 

Logically, he knew that Marcia was a much more lenient teacher than the young army. He knew that she was kind to him, and that she liked him, but…. 

...But it could all be a test, couldn’t it? A test to see if he could work well without fear of punishment, and now he had failed, hadn’t he? vaguely, he heard voices talking to him. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he knew Marcia was there, and… Alther? Alther hadn’t been there before. 

Boy 412 backed further and further away. He had failed. And now he had to wait for his punishment. 

But it never came. Instead, he heard Alther, the ghost, who could do no harm to him, simply by virtue of being intangible. He felt the cool breeze of Alther’s hand, and the voice was calm. Boy 412 couldn’t make out the words, but his breathing started to slow. He heard Alther counting, but why was a mystery. 412 focused. 

“In...1...2...3...Out...1...2...3”

He matched his breathing. Slowly, slowly, 412 stopped panicking, at least a little. 

Septimus opened his eyes. He listened to Alther talk, he saw Marcia’s worried face in the background. 

“Septimus,” Alther said, “Septimus, you will never be hurt here, understand? Not doing well on a test simply means you will learn it again. We know you studied, we know you worked hard. Marcia will teach you what you missed again, it will all be ok.”

Septimus wasn’t sure that was true, but he knew it made logical sense. When Marcia approached him though, he flinched away. Then he initiated the hug himself, which was a first. He leaned in, and was surprised by how comforted he felt by the embrace. 

“Septimus,” Marcia said, “you did wonderfully, really. Most new apprentices fail that test horribly, and you got over half correct. You never need to worry about your scores again, we will always go over anything you miss again. You are here to learn, not to be perfect. I know it is hard to believe, but I’ll remind you when you forget. Never doubt your place here, you deserve it.” 

With that, Marcia stood up, and Septimus went with her. She led him to the table and pushed a full plate towards him. 

“Eat,” Marcia said. “Eat, and then we can go over that test together. You’ll get it, I promise. ”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading, make sure to let me know your thoughts! If you think that any tags need to be added, just say the word.


End file.
